“Note: - Due to reasons of hygiene these instruments cannot be returned for resale. DON’T PUT A USED WHISTLE IN YOUR MOUTH.”
This had me thinking…anyone on this board who has ever sold me their old whistles, please tell me that you didn’t actually USE the whistles you sold me!!! And whistle makers, please assure me that you don’t actually play my whistle to make sure it sounds good before sending me my whistle. And with these whistle tours going around, please assure me that no one is actually putting their mouth on the whistle. I mean you are just passing it around to look at only, right?? I don’t want to get germs.
Ok. Coming out of sarcasm mode…
So I just found this comment in the eBay posting a little absurd. Common sense tells you to wash a whistle with soap before playing it for the first time. But in the whistle world, we know that we share our whistles, resell them, plan whistle tours, etc. Makers have to play them to make sure they are up to the buyers expectations. A statement in all capital letters saying to never play used whistles is a bit extreme.
So if the seller doesn’t accept returns, they should just say so. Not hide behind the facade of “personal hygiene”.
Oh well, no one goes to eBay for whistle advice anyway.
P3
That’a why you should get to know your whistle maker before buying a whistle from them. Make sure they’re the type of person you wouldn’t mind swapping spit with.
That’s why I personally won’t buy a whistle from anyone unless they buy me dinner first.
I’m cheap, but I’m not easy.
that’s just plain silly. At most ren-faires they won’t generally won’t let you toot the whistles or flutes. But that’s mostly to prevent the great unwashed masses (and their grimy kids) from pawing all over them 
If you have a serious interest, most vendors will make an exception..at least, that’s been my experience.
You guys are funny!
By the way, Wanderer, I am interested in Renis, oh, whatever, fairs. Do they play whistles? What kinds, or keys? How would I find out more.
Not to hijack this thread…but…ok, I’ll shut up.
Well, at most Renaissance faires I’ve been to, they’re mostly dominated by flute-makers. Erik the Flutemaker puts a bamboo body on a susato head and sells that, but there’s no real tinwhistle makers/sellers out these parts at the faires
Someone should do something about that…
Actually, Slow Air (modest guy that he is) won’t fess up that he has a great way to deal with the hygenics involved when a lot of folks will be trying out a lot of whistles at an event. At the Northeast Whistle Gathering at the Sweet’s facility a few weeks ago, Slow Air (his real name must, alas, remain a mystery, much in the manner of the elusive Bloomfield) had a jar of full strength Listerine (or some such potent germ killer) for dipping whistles and a second container of eiither a dilute batch of the same or clear water for the rinse. We were advised, however, not to ‘dip’ wooden whistles.
The rumors that later in the day a bunch of rec$%der players barged in and guzzled down the contents of both cups are simply not true. The harmonica players got there first!! This is, of course, consistent with a tradition that goes back at least to Tony “Little Sun” Glover, who used to advise dunking your harmonica in a glass of beer before playing it. Speaking of which, I’m gonna haul out “Blues, Rags & Hollers” by Messers Koerner, Ray & Glover and give a listen to a few of the nuggets they recorded on March 24, 1963. They drove 370 miles and recorded for about 12 hours for the princely sum of $300.00!!. I wonder where these guys are today. Google will, no doubt, reveal all.
Yeah, I’m goin’ down Louisana, git me a mojo hand…
Night all!!
Tom D.
OOPS!! I hit enter one time too many. Pretend I’m not there.